Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Woman Fined for Removing Free-Roaming Horse from BLM Land

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has fined an Idaho woman for removing a free-roaming horse from public lands in Utah.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 protects wild horses and burros and places them under the BLM’s jurisdiction. The act states that it is unlawful to remove a mustang or burro from public lands without authorization from an authorized officer of that agency.
In social media posts, Cynthia Guild Stoetzer said she was riding her horse near Justesen Flats, an informal camping area in south-central Utah when she came upon a brown and white mare that appeared to be malnourished. Stoetzer attempted to call the BLM via cell phone, but could not make contact, her post said. As a result, she loaded the animal into her trailer and transported it to the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, her post said.
“I did try to call them for more than a day,” Stoetzer said in a June 5 post. “I was trying to help out, actually.”
On June 1, Stoetzer was fined $275 by the BLM for removing the animal without permission...more

There two and a half times more wild horses today than there was in 1971 when the act protecting them passed; while herd size doubles every four years but adoptions are down from 8,000 to 2,500 per year; there are 46,000 horses in corrals or pastures costing $50,000 per animal over their lifetimes, meaning BLM will spend over a billion dollars on these horses alone; and they fine this lady $250 for trying to help one of them?

Then there is this from the article:

And while Warr said it is generally dangerous to approach a horse in
the wild, he said Stoetzer might have been able to load and trailer the
mare because she might have become accustomed to interacting with
humans. “For example the Onaqui herd in Utah has become very used to seeing
cars and photographers, and has gotten used to people feeding them,”
Warr said. “Perhaps as a foal this horse had some interaction with
people at some point.”

I've seen quite a few horses that were "accustomed to interacting with
humans", but you would play hell loading them in a trailer. What a stupid thing to say. Many can relate to one of my favorite cartoons: